Martinez Not Perfect Enough, Only Through 9
Pedro Martinez of Montreal became only the second pitcher in the history of the major leagues to take a perfect game into extra innings, but he allowed a leadoff double in the 10th inning Saturday night in the Expos’ 1-0 victory over the San Diego Padres.
The only other pitcher to accomplish the feat was Harvey Haddix of Pittsburgh in 1959. He pitched 12 perfect innings in that game before losing in the 13th.
Bip Roberts broke up the perfect game with line-drive double that landed about 10 feet inside the right-field line. The hit came on Martinez’s 96th pitch.
“It feels really good, but it still hasn’t sunken in yet. With the way the game went I’m just happy that we won the game,” said Martinez, a 23-year-old right-hander.
Under amended no-hitter rules adopted by an eightman committee on statistical accuracy in 1991, Martinez receives credit for neither a perfect game nor a nohitter.
In fact, he didn’t even get a shutout. Manager Felipe Alou removed Martinez after Roberts’ double, and Mel Rojas finished the combined one-hitter.
“It was really good tonight. I was able to keep my concentration on every hitter throughout the game,” Martinez said.
The Expos took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 10th when Shane Andrews singled, Lou Frazier walked and Jeff Treadway singled to right.
That gave Martinez a chance for the first extrainning perfect game in baseball history. The last perfect game in the majors was by Kenny Rogers of Texas against the California Angels on July 28, 1994, a 4-0 victory.
The last perfect game in the National League was by Dennis Martinez of the Expos, no relation to Pedro, on July 28, 1991, a 2-0 victory at Los Angeles.
Right fielder Tony Tarasco had no chance to catch Roberts’ double.
“It was a lucky hit to a lucky spot,” Roberts said. “I was just able to hit it this time to get it where they weren’t standing.”
Martinez said he became aware of his perfect game in the seventh inning.
“When I heard the crowd yelling at me coming off the field, I looked at the scoreboard and saw the zeroes,” he said.
Martinez (4-1) was aided by a great play by Tarasco with one out in the ninth. Pinch-hitter Scott Livingstone hit a liner to deep right and Tarasco made a leaping catch as he banged into the wall. Martinez then struck out pinch-hitter Eddie Williams to send the game into extra innings.
It made he and Haddix the only pitchers to throw nine perfect innings without a win. Haddix did it for the Pirates against Milwaukee on May 26, 1959.
“That’s big-league pitching at its best right there. Not much you can say except superb and awesome. Tip your hat,” San Diego’s Tony Gwynn said.